Earth-working machines, such as, for example, excavators, loaders, hydraulic mining shovels, cable shovels, bucket wheels, bulldozers, and draglines, are generally used for digging or ripping into the earth or rock and/or moving loosened work material from one place to another at a worksite. These earth-working machines include various earth-working implements, such as a bucket or a blade, for excavating or moving the work material. These implements can be subjected to extreme wear from the abrasion and impacts experienced during the earth-working applications.
To protect these implements against wear, and thereby prolong the useful life of the implements, various ground engaging tools, such as shrouds, teeth, edge protectors, and other wear members, can he provided on the earth-working implements in the areas where the most damaging abrasions and impacts occur. These ground engaging tools are removably attached to the implements using customized retainer systems, so that worn or damaged ground engaging tools can be readily removed and replaced with new ground engaging tools.
Many retainer systems have been proposed and used for removably attaching various ground engaging tools to earth-working implements. One example of such a retainer system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,776,408 to Stewart et al. In particular, the '408 patent discloses a protective shroud assembly. The assembly includes a shroud adapted to be fitted to a wear edge having a boss. The assembly also includes a locking means. The locking means includes a cylinder having a cam-like surface extending outwardly from a sidewall of the cylinder. The locking means also includes a compressible member. The cam-like surface is adapted to engage the compressible member as the cylinder is rotatably received in an aperture of the shroud, forcing the compressible member against the boss and retaining the shroud in position with respect to the wear member.
The assembly of the '408 patent may provide certain benefits. However, it may have certain drawbacks. For example, material may become lodged between various surfaces of the locking means, making it difficult to remove the shroud from the wear edge. As another example, the locking means itself may be subjected to wear from the abrasion and impacts experienced during earth-working applications. The disclosed embodiments may help solve these and/or other problems known in the art.